As Fate Would Have It
by Marion Kay
Summary: After finding Inuyasha with Kikyo again, Kagome loses herself in the woods. But what happens when she finds herself being taken care of by the most unlikely of youkai? NOTE: rating MA for an audience of 18 and up.
1. Chapter 1

I do not own the rights to Inuyasha.

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**Chapter 1:**

_ "Crap! That's another skirt I've completely ruined_," the Miko thought to herself as she toyed with the now torn hem of her green uniform skirt. This would be the third skirt this week that she would need to replace. The first one fell victim, quite literally, to a fall down a rocky cliff. The second to a very angry bear demon ("_What is it with these bear demons?"_). And now this one to a clump of rather vicious thorn bushes. "When I find Inuyasha he's going to pay for this skirt!" She let out an exasperated sigh as she pushed past the thorny menaces and continued on.

The troupe had lost track of their canine member… again. Kagome, being the generous young woman she is, offered to go and hunt him down. "_At least it's daytime_," she thought. Normally they lose Inuyasha at night, when Kikyo's little pests linger about. Kagome had finally learned that when Kikyo was in the area to not even look for Inuyasha. He would always find his way back to camp in the morning — giving little to no thought about leaving the troupe defenseless in their sleep while he was absent.

Soon, the young Miko found herself coming to a clearing in the woods. _"I swear, if Inuyasha isn't here, I don't know WHERE he is!"_ She parted some of the bushes guarding the little clearing and instantly wished she hadn't. There, in the center of the clearing was Inuyasha - with Kikyo. But he wasn't just promising he'd go to hell with her, or holding her, or even kissing her this time. No. This time he and the dead woman were entangled in the most intimate of embraces.

Kagome stumbled backwards, desperately wishing to be anywhere but where she was right now. She turned and began to run. She didn't know where she was running to, and she really didn't care. All she wanted in that moment was to distance herself from Inuyasha and any place that would remind her of him. _"I knew it. I knew he never loved me and I would always be just the reincarnation...but...for him to do _**_that_**_…"_ The miko shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to erase the memory. She knew she didn't love him anymore. She'd given up on that long before. But the thought that he would actually go and have sex with the dead priestess was more than Kagome could handle.

Her foot caught a root and she went tumbling forward. Her skirt ripped further — now exposing the top of her thigh. She looked down at the stinging sensation she felt and saw that her legs were completely scraped up and her palms along with them. She pushed herself from the ground and continued her mad dash through the unknown woods. She didn't know how long she'd been running, but by the time she reached another clearing in the woods the sun was beginning its decent in the sky.

Welcoming a moment of rest, she sat down in the grassy clearing and let out a choked sob. She refused to let her tears fall, however. She would not give that dead bitch the satisfaction. Even though there would be no way for Kikyo to know if Kagome shed a single tear, she would know herself. Gathering her thoughts, she opted to search for a stream or any source of water. _"How stupid can I be?" _she thought to herself. _"I run away in a forest that is totally unfamiliar to me. I have no idea if there's water nearby. I have no idea how to get back to camp._" Her stomach let out a sad and drawn out rumble. "And I don't even have anything to eat!" she shouted at the sky striped with pinks and oranges. "Alright, Kagome! Let's pull ourself together and think. You were smart enough to bring your bow and arrows with you, so you're not totally defenseless. And you've been studying different herbs and plants with Kaede so you can surely find _something_ to eat." Feeling a bit better from her pep talk, she stood, pulled her hair back, and dusted herself off as much as she was able.

She set out towards the setting sun in search of water. After about half an hour she found a clear little stream. It wasn't much, but she would be able to have fresh water and wash her wounds. As cupped her hands in the cool water and bent down to take a drink, she felt a pulse of youkai. Before she could even turn around, let alone ready an arrow, she found herself face to face with a giant Ogre. "Could this day get _any_ worse?!" The Ogre's face contorted into what Kagome assumed must be a grin for Ogres as it lunged forward towards her. She rolled to the side, barely avoiding the monster's hideous claws. Facing down the Ogre, she scanned the area for anything that would help her bring the creature down. Finding nothing that would help her, she steadied herself for what she hoped would be a quick battle. Sango had once told her that although very strong and very stupid, Ogre's are also very lazy and if their prey evades them and proves too difficult to catch, they will often give up the hunt and lumber off elsewhere. "Come on ugly, make your move," the young Miko mumbled under her breath. Unfortunately for her, the Ogre heard her.

With an unexpected amount of speed and agility the Ogre dashed for her. He grabbed her by the waist, though with the size of the monster's hands, really it grabbed her by her entire body. In a few quick strides, the Ogre made its way to a wall of rocks and pinned Kagome there. She could feel the Ogre slowly pressing his hand harder and harder into the rock face, forcing the air out of her lungs. She let out a pained yell as she felt what must have been one of her ribs cracking under the force. Her vision became blurred as pain and lack of oxygen overtook her.


	2. Chapter 2

I do not own anything pertaining to the Inuyasha Universe (much to my disappointment).

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Opening her eyes, Kagome saw stars. "_Huh. So this is what it's like to be dead_," the miko thought to herself. "_It's not that bad. Great view, really." _She took a breath and a spasm of pain shot through her body. "Ahh," she cried out in agony. "I didn't think being dead was supposed to hurt this much!"

"I assure you, despite what seemed to be your best attempt, you are not dead, Miko." A low voice rumbled out.

_"If I didn't know any better, I would swear that sounded like Sesshomaru. Of course, that's ridiculous. Why would Sesshomaru be dead? But...he said I'm not dead. So why would Sesshomaru be with me?" _Kagome shot up on that last thought. Or at least, she attempted to — getting part way up before pain ripped through her again. Suddenly, she felt herself being carefully lowered back to the ground. She peeked through her tightly shut eyes to see the great Lord of the West bending over her and delicately repositioning her in the grass.

"Sess...Sesshomaru!?"

"Hn, Miko?"

"But...why are you here? Where am I? I thought I was dead, there was an Ogre and — "

"Calm yourself. If you continue to writhe about you will only further injure yourself."

Kagome stilled as she fully realized for the first time since opening her eyes that she was lying there in the grass with Lord Sesshomaru watching over her.

"What happened?" She asked in a small voice.

The Great Lord leaned back, seemingly satisfied with his repositioning of her. His eyes scanned up her body. Eventually, gold met brown and his soft thunder voice began.

"You were attacked by an Ogre. It seems you remember that part. I smelled fear and your blood in my lands and found you. The Ogre was thoroughly focused on forcing the last of your life from you, thus he did not sense me coming. I disposed of him and brought you here. You have been sleeping for a few hours."

"Oh. Thank you. You know … for saving me."

"Hn."

She could not tear her eyes away from his gaze. There was something there in his eyes she had never seen before. Was it concern? Surely not. The great Sesshomaru concerned over a human who isn't Rin? Particularly over herself? Definitely not. She was part of Inuyasha's pack...with that thought she flinched slightly. Sesshomaru moved quickly to her side.

"Are you hurt elsewhere, Miko?"

There was that look again. She could think of nothing else to call that slight gleam in his eyes. For some reason he was concerned for her. He hated anything that had to do with the hanyou, though at the moment so did she. _"Perhaps we have more in common than I'd previously thought."_ At that thought she began to smile a bit, and then a small giggle worked its way from her body. In that moment, however, pain tore through her once again. Sesshomaru's brow furrowed ever so slightly.

"I do not understand what you find comical, Miko. And if you continue to move yourself, your ribs will not heal."

"My ribs?"

"Hn. The Ogre broke one and cracked two others. It should not take too long to heal, but you will need to rest and refrain from moving."

He hadn't broken eye contact with her the entire explanation and she wasn't able to tear hers from his. She could see the concern now in his eyes, and she attempted a smile to reassure him she would be alright. _"I just tried to reassure Lord Sesshomaru. What is going on here? And why can't I look away? In the past I would have been terrified to look him in the eye or be stuck alone with him. But there's something about him right now. Something so calm and reassuring."_

"Miko — "

"Please, you've saved me. Please, call me Kagome."

He nodded and began again.

"Kagome, along with your ribs, you are covered in cuts and a few places where the Ogre's nails dug in to you. Though I cannot help with your ribs, I can help with the healing of your cuts — if you would allow me to."

She flushed slightly at his sincerity and desire to help her heal. He was behaving in such an odd manner and she began wondering if she was dreaming. _"Well, if I'm dreaming, what's the harm in letting him help heal me. Though, how he would do that, I have no idea…"_

"I would greatly appreciate your help. Although...I know you've already done so much to help me. I hope I'm not being a burden," she managed to stammer out.

With that the demon's eyes gained a new depth as he slowly moved closer to her. His hand carefully lifted her arm and keeping eye contact, he brought her arm to his lips.

"Sessho —" she began to protest when his next action surprised her so much that her ability to speak was stripped from her. Slowly and softly his tongue lapped at her arm. Her eyes grew wide as he trailed his tongue along one of her cuts. The warmth of his tongue soothing the skin, followed by the cold night air. Languidly, he traced his tongue over the deepest cut on her arm. Once satisfied with his work on that cut, he moved to one on her wrist. She found his ministrations soothing and almost hypnotic. She felt her head becoming foggy as her body completely relaxed into his touch. Far too soon his face left her arm and she almost let out a sound of protest when she felt his breath on her neck. He nuzzled her slightly and she tilted her head with the nudge, exposing her neck to him. He let out a low hum of approval. His tongue gently made its way up her neck and she found herself struggling to not moan out. _"His tongue...just feels so good,"_ she thought to herself as he trailed his tongue up and down her neck. He continued down to her collar bone and then to her side. She hadn't even realized she had a cut on her side, but the warmth of his tongue kept her from even caring if she was really injured there or not.

Soon his mouth found its way to her legs that she _knew_ were thoroughly beaten up. As he licked at her leg she couldn't help but blush. No man had **ever** paid this kind of attention to her injuries. It was as though his tongue itself was paying homage to her body. The thought caused her to flush again. She felt him pause for a moment. She was about to thank him for taking care of her when she felt his tongue lap against the inside of her leg. She couldn't help it as a moan slipped through her lips. She could swear she felt him smirk against her inner thigh at her sound.

She could feel her entire body flush with the intimate contact and she silently prayed that the powerful demon between her legs would be too focused on his task at hand to notice her arousal.


	3. Chapter 3

I do not own the rights to Inuyasha.

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Sesshomaru found himself in a state of near bliss. Had anyone told him two years earlier that he would find himself between the miko's legs and tending to her wounds, he would have ended their life in that moment. But as his contact with the young woman increased, so did his interest and eventually desire. She was not weak, unintelligent, or filthy as other humans were. Soon, he found himself actually looking forward to finding his half-brother's pack. He would never admit it, but eventually he began seeking them out — particularly if they were near his lands.

He had been on a walk with his young ward, the imp, and Ah-Un. He often indulged Rin in evening walks through some of the most beautiful fields in his lands. Once she even braided flowers into Ah-Un's manes. It was during one of these walks he smelled the miko alone near his lands. It was odd enough for her to be alone, as normally the half-breed kept her within his sight. But what drew him to her so quickly was the smell of her blood and fear in the air. He had demanded Jaken to take Rin and Ah-Un back to the palace as he took to the sky — desperate to find the maiden he had begun to desire so much.

When he found her, he saw an Ogre of unusual size pressing her into the rock face. His vision flooded with red as he unleashed his power on the ugly demon. He had Kagome in his arms before the mutilated pieces of the Ogre's body hit the ground. He knew she would need rest and though he wanted to take her to his palace, he knew it would be best for her to have her say. She was not a weak-willed or soft-spoken woman and he had no desire to anger her.

He found himself tempted to heal her wounds on the spot, but managed to restrain himself. His inner beast growling at his self-control. _"We must have her permission before bathing her wounds. It would not do for her to awaken and be startled," _he thought to both himself and his beast. _"_**_To hell with her being startled. Take her. Here. Now. We need a strong mate and she can give us that,_**_" _his beast snarled back at him. _"She is untouched, and we will not take her honor from her. She must give it to us freely." _His beast growled in protest against his last thoughts, but gave in. Deciding it would be best to not frighten their future mate.

Now that the young woman was allowing him to care for her wounds, Sesshomaru found himself fighting against his beast, yet again. It didn't help that her skin felt like silk and tasted of honey under his careful ministrations. He admitted to himself that perhaps he was spending an excessive amount of time on some of her cuts, but he could not bear to tear his mouth from her skin. Her compliance when he nudged her neck made him hum with pride and approval. "**_See? She wants us to take her. She has bared her neck to us. Take her!_**_" "No. Now silence." _His beast went and sulked in the corner of his mind, peeking out on occasion in jealousy as Sesshomaru remained in control lapping at the young woman's neck, and her side, and finally her firm yet soft legs.

As his tongue traveled higher up her legs, he could feel the warmth begin to radiate from her body. He breathed in the ambrosia of her arousal. He had to brace himself from the heady experience and suppress a deep growl. As his tongue darted out once more to lap at her body, he heard her let out a moan. He smirked against her inner thigh, feeling a wave of embarrassment wash over her, only to be replaced almost instantly with another surge of arousal.

"Are you well, Ka-go-me?" The demon lord slyly asked from his spot between her legs — a spot he did not want to leave any time soon. He accented each syllable of her name with a leisurely lick up her leg. His hands venturing only a bit higher. He would not allow himself to completely give in to his desires at the moment. Although her scent drew him in, he knew that she did in fact need rest for her ribs to heal. "**_Once she's healed we will take her_**_." "Hn. Yes, perhaps then we will."_

Kagome flushed at his acknowledgement of her moan. But her embarrassment couldn't last. Her desire and the sensual movements of his tongue left no room for any emotion except lust.

"I...I'm fine," she managed to squeak out. Certainly she had desired the demon lord — by the Gods, who wouldn't? He was the very image of perfection. Not to mention, over the past year or so, she found him to be more and more pleasant of company as her troupe ran into his. _"But that was always just coincidence. The situation almost forced him to be near me. But now, he could have just left me to die, but he chose to save me and now...oh Kami! Now his head is nestled between my legs!"_ The pain in the miko's ribs was momentarily forgotten as the demon lord worked his way up her leg a bit further.

When he was finished, he pulled himself away from her. The loss of contact was agonizing.

"Sesshomaru?"

The miko glanced at him through her eyelashes. Once again, brown met gold and the energy between the two hummed.

"Hn?"

"Thank you. For saving me and … " she took a breath, contemplating her next words, "and for not abandoning me."

Sesshomaru's eyes widened only slightly, but the shift in his expression did not escape the young woman.

"Why would I abandon you?" The Lord of the West asked, moving closer to Kagome.

"Well, it's just that sometimes I know I can be such a burden. I know you're not the type...well, or normally not the type, to take on extra burdens. And then, of course I'm human and you haven't necessarily seemed to be overly fond of humans in the past. Not to mention, Inuyasha always seems to abandon me — probably because I am a burden, but…"

"Stop." Sesshomaru snarled, cutting the miko off. "The hanyou is a fool. And though you are correct, that I do not often praise humanity, it is because so many humans are weak in mind, body, and will. You, however, are not weak in any way. And do not speak of yourself so lowly again. You are not a burden. Do you understand, Kagome?"

Her eyes widened in shock at the demon's outburst. Slowly nodding her head, she attempted to soak his words in. "_He doesn't hate all humans? Well, I suppose I knew that. There is Rin after all… Wait! He thinks I'm strong? I'm lying here under his protection because I could not fight a stupid Ogre, but he thinks I'm smart and strong?"_

"Kagome."

His voice pulled her out of her head and brought her attention to the beautiful demon beside her.

"Yes, Lord Sesshomaru?"

"Do you understand?"

She began to nod her head once again when one of his powerful and deadly hands suddenly cupped her chin up to him. He handled her so gently, like one would a precious piece of china or a newly formed butterfly. His face moved down slowly towards hers. Soon their eyes were once again locked, this time on a hair's breadth from one another. His body gracefully hovered over her own.

"I need you to tell me that you understand, Kagome. Not just nod."

Her heart was racing from how close she and the demon lord were — his gaze burning into her, his eyes molten pools of gold with flecks of copper. She could feel his breath against her skin.

"Yes," she whispered out as the Lord of the West gently closed the distance between them — his lips warm and soft against her own.


	4. Chapter 4

I do not own the rights to Inuyasha.

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"What the FUCK do you mean 'She's not here?!'" The Hanyou yelled at his remaining human travel mates.

"It means that she isn't here. Absent. Unaccounted for. I thought that was clear from the statement," Sango snapped back at him. "She went looking for you when you didn't come at the call for lunch. She was _worried_. Now, because of YOU we don't know where she is!" Sango's face reddened with each word. Her finger poking into Inuyasha's chest for emphasis.

The half-demon had always known that the slayer was powerful and he had seen other demons shrink in her presence, but it was only now as she loomed over him that he fully understood. "_This bitch is scary._"

"Sango, my dear," the Monk drawled out. Her head whipped around to face him.

"WHAT?"

Miroku, being accustomed to the slayer's wrath, took a step forward, unaffected by the wrath in her eyes — primarily because the anger wasn't directed at him for once. His curse-free hand reached forward to tuck a lock of her her hair behind her ear.

"Yelling at Inuyasha for being a thoughtless fool again is not going to help us find our sweet Kagome." His smile calmed Sango a bit, but the fire in her eyes did not dim in the slightest.

"I know," she said in a slightly less shrill voice. "It just makes me feel a lot better to yell at the jerk." The last statement she mumbled under her breath. Miroku smirked and gave her a knowing nod.

"Inuyasha," Miroku called the half-demon's attention back to him. "Which did our fair raven haired maiden head? Surely you could smell her scent. It shouldn't be too difficult to find her, should it?"

"Keh. Hell if I know. Wench hides her aura and scent half the time. Always sneaking up on me."

"I have never known our Kagome to 'sneak,' Inuyasha. Typically you seem to be a bit… _preoccupied_… when she happens upon you."

Inuyasha flushed and mumbled something incoherent as he avoided the Monk's knowing eyes and the flaming look from the slayer. Sango, having gotten to know Miroku's tone over the years, knew exactly what he was implying. The hanyou's inability to meet her gaze only solidified it.

"You were with Kikyo?!" She shouted at Inuyasha, all attempt at remaining calm thrown to the wind.

"I mean...I ran into her...but I wa…"

"No, Inuyasha. I mean, you were _with_ Kikyo?!" Her eyes flashed dangerously as her hand twitched at Hiraikotsu.

Inuyasha's blush deepened — his face matching his robe. He opened his mouth as though to defend himself, but the disappointed look on Miroku's face quieted him instantly. "_Even the perv is disapproving! Shit, the monk wouldn't look like that if Sango let him in her bed!_" "I shouldn't have to defend myself. I promised my love to Kikyo over 50 years ago, so I don't know what you're both so upset about!"

The slayer's expression darkened. "All those times she cried, it was because you were with your dead, clay, priestess who STOLE part of her soul."

"It's not like I fucked Kikyo until yesterday, ok? Shit, I don't know why Kagome always insisted on following me anyways. Besides, I told you, I didn't smell her or anything."

"Of course you didn't smell her, you idiot! You were too busy FUCKING _dirt_!"

Both men stepped back. Sango cursing? That was unheard of.

"I don't know what your problem is, Sango," Inuyasha spat out at her. "It's not like she's still obsessing over me like a lovesick freak."

Sango's eye twitched ever so slightly. Her voice came out distant and cold. "I thank the gods that she no longer desires you. That does not change the fact that she went looking for you out of genuine concern. The least you could do is show some sort of gratitude. Instead, you go and pour yourself into the clay doll that wants Kagome dead. You disgust me."

She turned around and began walking away from the two men. Miroku cast a pitying look at the half-demon, sighed, and followed the woman he loved. He wondered how they would explain to Shippou why his mother still had not returned.

Inuyasha stared in disbelief at the retreating figures. "_They...they're actually walking away. They're actually pissed? Maybe, just maybe, Sango has a point…_"

He was pulled from his thoughts by a hollow voice from behind him. "Inuyasha." He turned to see his lover standing behind him. Her skin ghostly pale as she was illuminated by the Shinidamachu. "Are you going to keep me waiting, love?"

He took a step towards her now outreached hand. His hands slowly loosening the robe of the fire rat as he went.

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A/N: Thank you all so much for your interest in the story! Your reviews, follows, and favorites mean the world to me. Thank you all for showing my first story so much love! I hope to have the next chapter up soon.


	5. Chapter 5

I do not own the rights to Inuyasha.

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Kagome sat panting. Her body still shaking from the kiss. It had been soft and gentle, yet passionate and needing at the same time. _"I just kissed Lord Sesshomaru...I KISSED…_"

He pulled away from her supple lips and looked her in the eyes — his heavily lidded and burning with desire. The gaze took her breath away. One hand was still buried deeply in her raven locks as the other traced small circles on her back. Her eyes were pleading and misted with an intense yearning — a yearning she had never experienced before. He took the plea in her eyes as her consent for him to continue kissing her when...her stomach let out a drawn out and incredibly embarrassing growl.

"You require sustenance. Do you not?" The demon lord asked her. She was barely able to finishing the slight nod of her head before she found herself blanketed in Mokomoko.

"I will be back soon."

Before she could protest, he was gone. She slowly stroked Mokomoko and startled when she felt it curl a little closer to her.

"Well, Lord Sesshomaru is just _full_ of surprises isn't he fluffy one?" She tilted her head to the side slightly to nuzzle into the animated fur left behind. The fur nuzzled her back slightly.

With a moment left to herself, she slowly traced her slightly swollen lips with the tip of her finger. Her mind wandered back to the passionate encounter she had just had with the Lord of the West. Her cheeks flushing at the mere memory of the intimacy of his touch and the almost nonexistent distance that had been between the two of them.

. . .

His kiss had started out slow and light. Like a silken whisper barely gracing her lips. But only if the whisper carried the heat of embers with it. For a split second she had frozen, unsure of what to do. But as his lips barely fluttered away and his eyes met hers yet again, she could see the truth in his eyes. He wanted her. And yet, there was something deeper. He didn't just want her an an object. There was something _more_ in that golden look. Something she just couldn't quite put her finger on.

As their eyes had locked, he took her passion as consent and slowly leaned in again. This time her lips responded as if this was what they had been created to do. Her lips molded softly to his the way his body was carefully molding around hers. Soon his hand found her hair. His claws barely touching her scalp, but the sensation was enough to cause her to gasp. He smirked against her lips and they both took the moment to deepen the kiss. His tongue darted out, barely grazing her lip. Her hand found it's way to his cheek, and then down to his neck, and slowly tangling itself in his silver hair. He moaned every so slightly at the feeling of her skin running over his.

His moan brought her confidence to the surface as she teasingly nibbled his bottom lip. He growled in approval, the depth of the rumbling sound causing vibrations in her stomach. His kisses gained more force behind them and hers held a desperation he never thought possible from the normally logical and composed young miko. Soon the scent her arousal reached his nose and he found himself struggling to hold his beast back. He wasn't done exploring the young woman and wasn't about to give her over to his beast — not yet at least. He took a moment to slowly move his mouth away and clear his head. It was this moment that Kagome's stomach had chosen to voice its discontent at being empty.

. . .

She curled into Mokomoko a bit more. "I can't believe my stomach growled right then," she groaned to the fur. As if responding to her feelings of embarrassment, the ends Mokomoko slowly drew circles on her legs — remarkably similar to the ones Sesshomaru had been tracing on her back earlier.

Moments later, she felt his immense aura approaching again. She thought about trying to reposition herself in a more appealing manner, but at the slightest shift of her torso, her ribs cried out in protest. She barely had time to remove the grimace from her face before the daiyoukai reappeared in the clearing. She noticed that he held something in his hands and as he came closer she was able to see it was a wad of cloth.

He knelt beside her in a graceful and effortless move as he unfolded the cloth, revealing what he had found. As Kagome looked down she couldn't help it. Slowly, a smile crept to her face, then a small giggle worked its way out between her lips, and finally a full laugh rang through the clearing. The Lord of the West looked both surprised and a bit offended. "_Why is the Miko laughing at what I have found for her?_" He wondered to himself.

"Oh! Sesshomaru, I'm sorry for laughing. But...well I can't eat this."

The demon lord looked down and his brow creased.

"Why is that, Miko? I have seen Rin partake of berries and herbs many times before."

She could see that her laughter had caused him some distress. He continued to glare at the berries as though his eyes could turn them into something more acceptable — what that might be, he did not know.

She reached out and her hand cupped the side of his face, thumb slowly stroking the magenta stripes on his cheeks. His eyes slowly traveled up to hers.

"Sesshomaru. Thank you. I appreciate it so much. But … the reason I can't eat this is that you brought me all poisonous plants." Her eyes were kind as his widened and he looked down at the offensive food.

"But Rin always eats such things."

"There are a lot of plants that look alike but one is safe and the other isn't. Lady Kaede has been teaching me about the differences to look out for."

Before she could even blink, he had rid the clearing of the poisonous plants and was on his feet again.

"I will return, again. This time I will not bring you anything harmful."

She smiled at his insistence. "Wait." Her hand reached up and grabbed the edge of his robe. He stilled and looked down at her. "Please, let me come with you. That way I can help show you which ones I can eat." Her eyes sparkled at the prospect of staying by the powerful demon's side as well as having the opportunity to teach him.

"Very well, Kagome. But there is one condition." Before she had a chance to ask "what?" she had been gently swept up into his arms with Mokomoko protecting her delicate body from his sharp and hard armor.

Instinctively she draped her arms around his neck and pulled her body further into his. She felt his low growl of approval again as he began walking out of the clearing.

The afternoon became a blur with gentle and easy conversation, a good many giggles from the miko, and some truly priceless expressions on the demon lord's face.

"No, silly! Not that one. Remember? If you give that to a human they'll break out into hives!" She tried to stifle another giggle and failed.

"This demon is not silly," he replied in as neutral a voice as he could manage, but the young woman saw the amusement and spark in his eyes.

_"How have I never noticed all the life in him before? I mean, sure I noticed he'd changed some but there's so much more to him than I'd ever imagine. And definitely more to him than Inuyasha ever let on. I wonder if he knows this side of his half-brother…"_ She was surprised with how quickly she could now think of Inuyasha without a twinge of pain. For a moment she was almost ashamed. _"Am I betraying him by having such a wonderful time with his half-brother?"_ she began to wonder, but quickly shook the thought away deciding it didn't matter. Inuyasha was definitely not one for being faithful so she really needn't worry about betraying him after all this time. _"Besides, he gave up his claim on me a long time ago_._"_

"Is everything alright, Ka-go-me?" Sesshomaru's face was level with hers now, looking at her playfully.

"Huh? What?" She startled.

"You were staring at me, young miko."

Worrying for a split moment that she had offended him she opened her mouth to utter an apology only to stop when she saw the twinkle in his eye. "I have to admit, Lord Sesshomaru, it's quite difficult _not_ to stare," she quipped back at him. His eyebrow raised perfectly and suspiciously.

_"She is being playful with me. _**_She wants us. _**_Silence. Her desires must be obvious to herself and her mind clear before we can afford to think that way. It will not do for the Lord of the West to be refused by a human — no matter how strong she is." _ His inner beast whimpered at the thought of her not wanting them and agreed. It would not do to frighten her away.

Slowly, Sesshomaru turned back and headed towards the clearing.

"We're already going back?" Kagome asked slightly dejected. She had been having so much fun on their search.

"You need to eat and rest. Your body will not heal if you do not."

She grumbled slightly murmuring something about how she felt just fine...until her stomach drowned out her complaints. She flushed and muttered that perhaps a bit of food wouldn't hurt. Sesshomaru grinned above her as she conceded and nestled her head against his strong chest again.

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A/N: Thank you to all of you who let me know about my mistake! I didn't realize I'd reposted chapter 2 (silly me!). Here's the correct chapter. I hope you enjoy!


	6. Chapter 6

I do not own the rights to Inuyasha.

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Three more days passed in a similar fashion. Kagome would wake up surrounded by Sesshomaru's warmth and even breathing. Slowly, she'd stretch, each day testing her ribs. They would stay in their clearing and go searching for food for the miko. By the evening of the third day, Sesshomaru finally allowed her to actually walk. It took more effort to convince him than she would have thought.

…

"Really, Sesshomaru! I'm fine! I can walk, really. I'm so much better." Of course, during this demonstration of her recovery she made sure to not make any movements that would cause her to wince at the last bit of remaining pain. The demon lord merely raised one of his silver arches and moved so as to scoop her up despite her protest.

"No. Please, if you don't let me walk I'll just turn into a vegetable!"

"I fail to see how my assistance will cause you to undergo a produce transformation."

She couldn't help but giggle at his response. Still mindful of the intensity of her laugh, lest it shake her too much. "I'll make a deal with you. Let me walk and if I start to hurt or get too tired, then you can carry me. How does that sound?"

He replied with what to many others would seem to be a rather noncommittal "Hn," but she knew better. Even during those few days, she'd memorized his sounds and could distinguish between many of his "hn's." He was conceding to her wish, but with the underlying promise that should her aura let out so much as a whisper of pain, she would find himself in his arms again.

"_Not that I'd mind being in his arms_," she thought. "_But, really, I do need to work on moving about. Though, I'm surprised I'm healing so quickly. The way it felt when that Ogre youkai had me against that rock… it felt like at least half my ribs snapped._"

Sesshomaru sensed a wave of slight concern and curiosity wash over the Miko.

"Kagome?" His voice brought her back to a breathtaking reality. His deadly claws barely touching her skin as he tilted her head up to look into his eyes — eyes full of questions and concern. "What is troubling you?"

"Oh! Oh it's nothing. I mean, not really. Don't worry." The words managed to run across her tongue without tripping over one another — although, just barely.

"Do not lie to me. I can smell your lie and sense your unease."

His tone was both soft and firm. She probably would have melted under just his gaze, tone, or touch alone. The combination of all three, however, made her jelly in his deliciously gentle yet killer claws.

"I was just wondering about how I'm healing so quickly. I mean, I know that my cuts have healed because you've been so kind to care for them." She flushed thinking about exactly how he had been taking "care" of her wounds. The memory of his tongue lapping against her skin was enough to set her body on fire. She brought herself back to the moment, not wanting to dwell on the warmth of his tongue against her body — at least, not wanting to dwell on it while a demon with such a sensitive nose was so close to her. "But, it's my ribs." She managed to stammer on. "One of the last things I remembered was what felt like half of them breaking, and yet, now I'm able to breathe normally, and they feel like they're only cracked, and barely hurt."

Sesshomaru thought for a moment on her question. He too had been surprised at her rate of healing. No human that he had every encountered before was able to heal as quickly as she was.

"You do not think it is connected to your own healing powers?" The demons lord inquired.

"Well, yes and no."

Sesshomaru raised an elegant eyebrow. "How do you reason that it can be both?"

"I've never been able to heal myself using my own healing powers on myself directly. If I'm healing someone else, sometimes a bit of the energy will heal tiny cuts on my hands, but nothing more." Kagome held her hands up in front of her, summoning a bit of her power. "Even if I hold it directly over my wounds, I don't feel a difference." Moving her slightly glowing hands over her ribs, she focused her energy on the area. After a few moments, the power dimmed from her hands and she looked up at Sesshomaru. "See? No difference. Well...I guess you can't really _see_ ribs, but you know what I mean...they don't _feel_ any different."

Sesshomaru merely nodded his head as he gazed at the young woman.

"Maybe it has something to do with you, Sesshomaru!" The young miko's eye lit up at the thought and a small smile tugged at the corner of the daiyoukai's lips.

"Perhaps, Kagome. We will test your theory on the night of the new moon. It is only a few nights away."

"The night of the new moon?" She paused. "But...well I know it makes Inuyasha weaker so how would it help with my healing?"

"The new moon does not make any demon or human weaker or stronger. Rather, it reveals that which is normally hidden. It illuminates what we cannot otherwise see. Sometimes things are the clearest in the dark. "

Kagome looked up at the pensive demon lord and smiled. "Well, I guess that means you're stuck with me for a few more days then, huh?"

"_Oh, my Kagome, for you will be mine. I plan to be with you for much longer than a few days,_" he thought as he nodded to his new companion.


	7. Chapter 7

I do not own Inuyasha or any of the rights.

A/N: Thank y'all for sticking with me despite my long hiatus. I can't promise frequent chapters, but I can promise that I will try to have much more frequent chapters. Thank you for all your support and reviews.

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The early morning sun burst through the leaves in an intricate dance of gold and green. As the wind rustled the leaves, it added flashes of silver to nature's show. Kagome felt warmth surrounding her as the relentless light picked at her heavy eyelids.

"Kagome." The warmth around her vibrated with the deep timbre of the demon lord's voice. She stretched and sighed happily as she became aware of Sesshomaru's arms wrapped around her.

"Mhmm?" She managed to mumble out sleepily — simultaneously happy and sad to be awake. She was convinced that there was almost no feeling in the world as wonderful as waking up in the strong demon's arms, protected and warm. Yet, she also knew that once she woke, he would get up and disentangle his limbs from her own leaving her body yearning for his touch.

"How are you feeling?" Sesshomaru asked as he began moving away from the delicate miko.

Understanding that his movements meant it was time for her to get up as well, she unwillingly forced her eyes open only to have them meet his smoldering golden orbs mere inches away. She smiled shyly as she answered, "Even better today than yesterday! Thank you."

He moved his face away and stood, extending a hand to her. "Come. You're strong enough now. Today we travel."

The surprise on her easily read face was not lost on the beautiful demon in front of her. As he helped her up, he answered the question that her raised brows and slightly parted lips were asking. "We have been in the glen for five days now. You're strong enough for us to travel from here," he paused as he inspected her, "and you are in need of new clothing and a bath."

Kagome looked down at her state of dress and flushed. She couldn't believe that in five whole days she'd hardly noticed just how filthy she was and how tattered her clothes were. She'd been so concentrated on basking in Sesshomaru's presence that she'd really hardly paid attention to her overall appearance. "Oh! I'm so sorry. I've just been so...I didn't even notice...I'm so gross!" She managed to spit the words out in disgust at just how nasty she was. "_And to think...he even LICKED me like this! And he slept by me. He must be filthy, and I'm sure he thinks I stink._" As she thought, she peeked a glance at him, but couldn't identify a single speck of dirt on him despite his continual proximity to her and sleeping on the ground. "Impeccable," she said under her breath.

He turned to face her. "What was that, Kagome?" She blushed when she realized she'd spoken out loud, and simply shook her head at her own forgetfulness. "_His hearing is impeccable as well...how could I forget?_" Looking up to meet his gaze, she smiled and said, "I was just saying that your clothes are impeccable...that you're not dirty at all while I'm…" she toyed with what was left of the edge of her skirt, and threw her hands up in the air in defeat, "filthy!" He stepped towards her and smiled. His smile never ceased to take her breath away. Never showing his teeth, his smile playfully and gently tugged at the corners of his perfect lips. His eyebrows shifted ever so slightly, opening his eyes up. The over all effect was one of serenity and comfort. Two words that Kagome was almost certain no one had ever used to describe the powerful demon before.

She picked up her bow and arrows and turned to the demon in front of her. "Um...Sesshomaru?" She asked hesitantly. He lowered his head ever so slightly to let her know he was listening, though she was beginning to feel that he listened to every breath she took with great care. Why he did this, she was still uncertain, but what she was not uncertain about was that there was a definite bond between the two. It was a deep bond, and a quiet bond. But a bond full of promise. "Well, I need more clothes, but I left my bag back at camp with…my group. Only, I don't know where camp is. I sort of headed off into the woods without paying attention to where I was going." She looked down at her feet, sheepishly tapping her toes on the ground.

"We are not going back to your camp. We will go to my castle." She looked up with a start. "Your castle? But what about my things? And my friends will be worried. I'm sure they think I'm dead already." He took what seemed like a single step, but was gracefully in front of her in a moment. His hand delicately lifting her chin, forcing her gaze up to meet his. "My castle is much closer than wherever your camp may be. Once you are there, you will be able to bathe properly, rest in an actual bed, eat food that is not mere twigs, and you may wear any of the clothing you find suitable while under my care. I will send out a messenger to find and retrieve your items, and if you would so wish, you may of course send them a letter." Almost hypnotized by his unblinking stare and touched by his generous offer, Kagome nodded her head slightly — dreading the moment when his hand would leave her skin.

But he did not break contact as she thought he would. Instead, he leaned in closer, lips lingering over hers. His gaze did not waver, but he did not lower his lips all the way to hers. She had no idea if it was acceptable or not, but she didn't think. Instead, she reacted on what felt like the most basic of instincts she had ever had. She closed the distance. Her lips meeting his for only the second time. In the days that had passed, Sesshomaru had continued to clean her wounds, he had slept by her side as he cradled her body within the curvature of his own. But he had not kissed her again.

The touch of his lips sent shivers down her spine. All at once her body was on fire and pricked with icy goosebumps. She felt his lips focus on her bottom lip, and she smiled into the kiss. Suddenly, he nibbled slightly on the lip he had moments before been so very delicate with. She moaned into him and it was his turn to smile. Their lips swapped, and now Kagome had the great Sesshomaru's bottom lip resting lightly between her own. She started out with feather light kisses on it before she pulled his lip between hers, sealing the kiss with a little nip of her own on his bottom lip. A low approving growl vibrated her body and sent a hot flush through her — pooling in her stomach. His hands snaked their way up her back, one staying there to pull her body closer to his and another tangled itself in her raven locks. She reached up to cradle his face with one hand and allowed the other to trace circles against his chest.

Breaking the kiss, she nibbled along his jaw line. She stood on her tip-toes as she delicately ran her tongue along the markings on his cheek. His grip in her hair tightened as he forced her head back further. His lips met hers again, and their tongues danced — each fighting for dominance. He slipped his tongue in her warm, moist, and welcoming mouth and as he withdrew, he sensually traced his tongue along the roof of her mouth. Her eyes flew open in a mixture of surprise and pleasure only to be met with another surprise. Sesshomaru's eyes were a mixture of his controlled gold and bestial ruby. She should have been frightened, at least she thought she should have been, but she didn't care what she should have been. All she knew was that she was turned on by the lust filled gaze in his jewel toned eyes.

After what seemed like an eternity and no time at all, Sesshomaru pulled away. His breathing was labored as he struggled to control his beast. He had never had a problem keeping that side of himself in check, but something about the passion and depth of this kiss, about the way her body fit against his, about the deep connection he felt to her — a connection he had never felt with another — made his beast almost uncontrollable. He looked into her eyes, dark with passion and allowed his glance to drift down to her rosy and kiss-swollen lips. As his gaze traveled back up to her eyes, he smiled.

"Come. It's time we go," was all he said before summoning his cloud beneath the two of them and starting towards the west, Kagome still pressed tightly, and happily, against his body.


	8. Chapter 8

I do not own the rights to Inuyasha.

* * *

Their feet touched down on a beautiful balcony. The view was breathtaking — overlooking a lush mountain range with fog lazily drifting through the valleys. The rumble of a distant waterfall was barely audible to Kagome's ears, and a rolling field covered in flowers ranging from vibrant blues to soft purples and passionate reds to explosive yellows stretched out beneath the balcony. At least, it would have been breath taking, had Kagome's breath not already been taken away by the smoldering look in the demon lord's eyes. He hadn't looked away from her during their entire flight, and if Kagome could have torn her thoughts away from her desire for just one moment she would have wondered how he knew where he was going without looking.

Neither wished to step away from the other, but Kagome knew a bath was quite possibly what she needed now more than another fiery kiss with Sesshomaru — though she certainly wanted the latter.

Sesshomaru stepped away from the miko and, taking her by the hand, led her into the room connected to the balcony. The room was large and open. Doors to what she assumed was another balcony faced her from across the room. To her left were two giant double doors — closed and ornately decorated. To her right was a commanding bed covered in exotic furs, lush pillows, and countless other opulent fabrics. In one corner stood a fireplace and in another a large bureau. Everything had delicate carvings, gold and silver plating, and a tasteful scattering of gems.

Her eyes widened at the lush display before her and let out a small gasp. Sesshomaru looked down at her. "It pleases you?" He asked as he tightened his grip on her hand ever so slightly and used the other to tuck a piece of her hair behind her ear. "Oh...Sesshomaru, it's beautiful. More than beautiful really." Looking down at her clothing and then glancing over to his, Kagome began to feel out of place for the first time since she came in contact with the powerful demon five days before. He sensed her distress and tilted her head back to meet his gaze. "Your scent is...hesitant and sad now. Do you not find it acceptable?" If Kagome hadn't known better, she could have sworn that a tone of worry crept into his voice. She shook her head, "It's not that. It's more than acceptable. It's like a room from a dream. It's just that, well, look at me. I'm a mess. I feel like I'm just making this beautiful place ugly." His forefinger slipped up from her chin and rested against her lips, silencing her. "This place was empty and cold until a few moments ago when you stepped into it. Your smile brought beauty into this place — not these objects. Do you understand?" Sesshomaru smelled her tears before he saw them. But her eyes were not sad, they were cushioned by her smile. She smiled and mouthed a small "yes" as he moved his fingers away from her mouth.

"Come. You have expressed an interest and desire in a bath, have you not? You will feel much better once you see yourself the way I already do." He led her by the hand to a smaller set of doors she hadn't noticed before. The doors opened on their own, almost out of reverence for Sesshomaru himself — though Kagome reasoned with herself that it must have been his magic — revealing a long staircase leading down. "What's down there?" Kagome asked hesitantly. Sesshomaru only smiled and pulled her by the hand. "Come and see."

The stairs seemed to go on forever — going further and deeper until Kagome realized that what she thought was just her ears ringing became a notable rumble, and moisture seemed to linger in the air. After a few more twists and turns and, of course, steps, Kagome's eyes widened again. Yet this time it wasn't a bedroom displayed before her, but a massive bathing area complete with its own waterfall.

The transition from man, or demon, made architecture flowed seamlessly into nature's own display. Vines cradled moss-covered stones, and the walls reached for the heavens — parallel with the natural wall of the waterfall. There was no ceiling, just open sky and water above with rainbows scattered through the air as the light and water caressed one another in perfect harmony. Rocks smoothed over the years by the water served as benches around the pool of rippling water.

As Kagome noticed the steam rising from the water, Sesshomaru leaned in to her ear and softly explained. "There is a giant furnace beneath the pool, it heats the water in the winter and during the cool nights. During the summer, the sun warms the water enough while still being refreshing." Kagome nodded in understanding while her eyes continued to take in the incredible room. Her eyes fell on a rock with white robes draped over it and a cabinet beside them. Sesshomaru followed her wandering eyes and drew her towards her newest discovery. Opening the cabinet, he revealed shelf after shelf of oils, soaps, and scents. Kagome glanced at him, and, with a nod from Sesshomaru, she reached for a few different bottles — smelling each of them, keeping some, and putting others back. Once she was satisfied with her loot, she looked up at the demon lord and smiled. "I think this ought to do it!" She exclaimed with great satisfaction at her arm load of bathing goodies.

Sesshomaru nodded at her and carefully steered her towards the side of the pool. Taking her newfound objects from her, he set each one down with great care and purpose. "Is there anything else you need?" He asked. She flushed at the question. "_Need? No, this is more than enough...but _**_want_**_…there is definitely something else I want_." She didn't voice her thoughts, though Sesshomaru could easily read them on her face and smell the desire radiating from her small frame. He could also smell her hesitation and shyness and, not wanting to embarrass her, politely excused himself. "If you should think of anything, just call for me. I'll be able to hear you from my chambers." With that he turned and began he ascent up the long and winding staircase.

"_Idiot! Why didn't you just say it? Well, self, because saying, 'Oh, Great and Powerful Lord Sesshomaru, I want you to pull me into the water and have your way with me — dirty girl that I am' doesn't seem like a very polite thing to say, now does it?_" Kagome sighed at her own manners and set to removing what little clothing she had left from her rough Ogre encounter.

Her top came first, revealing a sweet and innocent white bra with a modest cream satin ribbon running through it. Next was her skirt. But it was here that Kagome found herself facing a thoroughly unexpected problem. Her button was stuck. No. It was more than stuck. It was entirely immovable. She tugged this way and that way; she pull up and down; she pleaded with and commanded her button to cooperate; she tried pulling the skirt up over her head, but her breasts got in the way; she tried to wiggled it down over her hips, but found her hips just a bit too large for the fastened skirt to slip over them; she searched for something, anything to cut herself out of her skirt. All to no avail.

Finally, swallowing her pride and modesty, she called out softly, "Umm...Sesshomaru? I...umm...I need your help." He was in front of her in less than a second. The rush of wind he brought with him reminded her that in her skirt-frustrations she hadn't thought to put her top back on. She tried to bring her hand up to cover her bra but met resistance. Sesshomaru's hand caught her own as he gently, but firmly, moved her arm back to her side and shook his head. Acting as though he had not just kept her from covering herself, he calmly asked, "You needed me for something?" The depth and sultry darkness in the question brought a coiling heat to her stomach.

Trying to push her embarrassment and arousal aside, Kagome straightened and met his eyes. "Yes. It's just that you see…" her embarrassment began to rise back up, "well...my skirt, you see the button, it's stuck and I couldn't get in off and there was nothing to cu…" Her words were cut short as his claws rid her of the tattered green garment with ease. She glanced down at her nearly naked form. The only things keeping all of her from Sesshomaru's heated eyes were her bra and equally innocent and sweet panties.

She should have been embarrassed. She should have tried to hide herself. She should have mumbled out a hurried "thanks!" and tried to get the powerful and sexy demon away from her. She should have done a lot of things, but it is oh-so-difficult to do what you _should_ do when one of Lord Sesshomaru's hands is lingering on your hip, tracing gentle and electric circles on your hip bone with his thumb, while his other hand is tangled in your hair, pulling you closer to him.

For the second time that day, Kagome abandoned what she had been raised to do, and did what felt natural.

She closed the distance.


	9. Chapter 9

I do not own the rights to Inuyasha.

A/N: Thank you all for your supportive and kind comments and for sticking with me during my unreliable uploading schedule!

* * *

Their lips crashed against one another like two life-long lovers, seeing each other for the first time in years. There was an urgency to this kiss that the other two had been missing. A fire. Lips and tongues danced around and into one another — the perfect balance of teasing and touching. She nibbled on his lip and he growled — pushing her up against a slick wall. She gasped at the sudden impact and moaned as his tongue and teeth played with her neck. Wrapping her legs around his waist, her hands wasted no time pushing at his armor and pulling at his kimono.

Sensing her urgency, he pinned her hands above her head in one hand, and skillfully discarded his armor with the other — his lips never stilling against her flushed skin as his hips pressed into her — pinning her between himself and the stones. He loosened his grip on her hands, allowing her to explore his body.

Her hands danced to his chest, pushing back his kimono. Her dark eyes drank in his alabaster skin. His muscles tensed under her explorative touch. She traced his collar bones with the tips of her fingers and bent her head to place gentle kisses in her fingers' wake.

Sesshomaru stilled his roaming lips to bask in her gentle touch. He yearned for her to both apply more pressure and to keep her touch just as gentle. Shivers of pleasure shook through him as he closed his eyes and tilted his head back. Her nails lightly running down his chest made his eyes fly open and wrenched a hiss from behind his clenched teeth.

She looked up at him, her eyes swirling with lust and curiosity. "Did I hurt you?"

He shook his head slightly. "No. It was very…pleasurable…" She ran her nails down his chest again — a playful gleam in her eyes. "...but I warn you, Kagome, soon it will be my turn to explore you." She almost moaned at his words and shifted her hips against his, gasping as she felt his arousal press against her already wet panties. He growled against her motions and moved his hips in response. This time she did moan.

Her hands tangled in his hair as her lips quivered in anticipation — begging to be kissed again. "_I won't make her beg..._**_yet_**," he and his beast thought while his lips captured hers again. The softness of her lips mixed with her unexpected nibbles and licks had his beast screaming to claim her.

He ran his hands up her sides and grinned devilishly as she shuddered against him. He allowed his fingers to graze against her bra — resisting the urge to tear the garment to shreds. Slowly, he hooked his fingers under her straps and began sliding them off her shoulders. Her lips stilled and her hands flew to her chest.

Sesshomaru froze, confused by her sudden actions. "You do not want this? Your previous actions and scent say otherwise, but now you try to hide yourself from me. Why?" His voice was low, distant, protected. He was suddenly seized by a feeling he had never experienced before: fear.

She lowered her eyes and watched her fingers feverishly picking at a tiny string on the edge of her bra. Shaking her head slightly, she answered him. "It's not that. I do want this...want you. I've just never been with anyone before. And…" she took a deep breath and then her words came tumbling out, "I don't want you to think I'm a slut because I mean, we've really hardly even spent any time together, and I know I feel so much for you, but what if you don't feel the same back and I don't want to make you feel like you're supposed to feel the same but with it being my first time and all I really want it to meant something and I feel like it could mean something, especially with you...unless you don't feel the same then I'll feel stupid and what if I'm terrible at it and you decide that maybe if you could have felt the same about me you definitely won't now and then you'll just toss me aside, because that's what happens...I get tossed aside, because...well...really I'm not good enough for anyone and especially for you because you're intelligent and kind and driven and handsome and I'm just a second-rate-miko who doesn't even have her whole soul."

He tilted her chin up and moved his lips to her cheeks, kissing away the tears that had begun to fall in the midst of her confession. He continued his gentle kisses — traveling over her cheeks, across her eyelids, to her forehead, and down the tip of her nose, until he planted a very soft kiss on her lips. "I do not think you are any sort of concubine or 'slut' as you called it. I can smell that you have never been touched before. Even if you had been, I would trust your judgement that it was with someone you had deemed worthy. However, your discretion only pleases me more. That you have traveled with so many other youkai, humans, and even the half-breed and not found any of them satisfactory pleases me primarily because it means that you have found me satisfactory above all of them. As for your concern about the amount of time we have spent together, I believe I speak for both of us when I say that it is not the amount of time spent that matters, but the strength of the bond. I believe you feel the bond as strongly as I do, which is why I will never toss you aside. You have been belittled so much by the half-breed that you do not see your own strength and worth. You are intelligent, you are driven, you are kind and fair, you are beautiful, you have untapped powers beyond your wildest dreams, and even without your complete soul you are by far the most complete and perfect being I have ever met," he paused, "And Kagome, I will get the rest of your soul for you — not because I find you lacking without it, but simply because it belongs to you and you desire it. Do you understand? Do you understand now why we began crossing paths? Do you understand why I did not even think of abandoning you when I smelled your blood in the air? Do you understand why I need you by my side?" His voice was steady, but his eyes were filled with need and fear — fear that she would leave him.

"Oh, Sesshomaru," she breathed his name and traced her fingers down his magenta stripes. Pulling his face down to meet hers, she kissed him slowly and deeply, tears trickling down her cheeks.

He wrapped his hands around her back and stepped away from the wall — her legs still firmly wrapped around his waist.

"I will not have you against a wall in the bath house for your first time. Now come, let me bathe you — it is time you were treated the way you ought to be." He turned and began walking the two of them into the warm bath.

"Sesshomaru?

"Yes, my Kagome?"

"If you won't have me against a wall for my first time...how about my second time?"

He smiled at her. "Perhaps, little minx, perhaps."


	10. Chapter 10

I do not own the rights to the Inuyasha universe.

* * *

Kagome almost purred as she tilted her head further back into the daiyoukai's hands. Standing between his legs in the swirling water, his powerful claws gently massaging her scalp as he washed her long raven hair.

She had insisted that he look away earlier as she discarded her bra and underwear once in the water. Allowing her this privacy, Sesshomaru made his way to a rock where he could sit partially in the water and wash her hair. "_This will provide her with the privacy she seems to require while still allowing me access to her_," he had thought. He had kept his own undergarment on, not wanting to startle her or have her give in to her modest nature too much. And there was definitely a great amount to be startled at — especially for a modest virgin like Kagome.

Her back to him, she closed her eyes and sighed at the gentle, but firm, touch. Sesshomaru smiled, rather pleased with himself that he was doing what appeared to be an excellent job pampering his miko.

Kagome peeked an eye open and caught his carefree upside-down grin. "Someone's happy," she stated, keeping only one eye open. Sesshomaru started, surprised he had missed her looking at him. He had been so focussed on ensuring her enjoyment that he had completely missed her watching him.

Leaning over her so their faces were exact opposites, he bent down and planted a gentle kiss on her lips. "Indeed," he whispered against her, before sitting back upright. "Rinse."

Kagome smiled at his command and dipped her head under water. When she resurfaced, her hair bubble free, Sesshomaru reached for one of the bottles Kagome had chosen earlier. Tilting the bottle over her, he let the conditioning oil drip down her long hair and over her shoulders — his eyes wide in appreciation as the oil slid down the tops of her breast and into the water, swirling above her clearly erect nipples. "_One thing at a time. One thing at a time,_" he repeated to himself in his head as he brought his eyes back to her long and tangled mane. Gently, he ran his fingers through her hair, carefully working the knots out of its length until it lay like silk against his hands. He piled her hair on top of her head and pinned it there.

With her hair no longer there to provide a curtain between her very naked form and Sesshomaru's eyes, the miko unconsciously placed her hands over her "accidentally" oiled breasts.

Sesshomaru, noticing her modest stance, slipped off the rock and sank lower in the water. He tilted his head and kissed at the back of Kagome's slick neck. He smiled against her warm skin as he felt her relax into him and heard her let out a soft moan. Moving his skilled lips to her ear, he nibbled lightly on it and whispered, "I need to wash the rest of you, my shy Kagome."

He felt her blush coming on before he saw it. Playfully, he clicked his tongue at her. "Uh, uh, uh, Kagome. I told you I would treat and pamper you the way you were meant to be treated and pampered. What kind of treatment would it be if I did not wash you completely? Besides, you should know me well enough to know that I never do anything partially."

Kagome looked over her shoulder and blushed even harder at the look Sesshomaru was giving her. Sighing, she shrugged her shoulders. She knew this was one battle she would not win. "Ok, fine. I do know you better than to try and argue with you on this point," she conceded, expecting him to wash her there with her body somewhat concealed by the water.

Washing her in the water, however, was not what Sesshomaru intended. With a gasp from the naked miko, he swept her into his arms and carried her like a princess to the shallow end of the pool, setting her very delicately on a rock.

"Sessh...Sesshomaru!" The miko stammered out. Her hands ready to fly up and cover herself, only to be met with resistance. His hands had hers pinned at her sides. "Please," he almost whined, "let me look at you and bathe you." She opened her mouth to protest, but his hands suddenly stroking the outsides of her legs made a moan come out instead. He smiled at her, knowing the battle had been won.

Somehow on their trip across the pool, or perhaps before it even began — Kagome really wasn't sure — Sesshomaru had managed to grab the bottle of oil from before. Keeping eye-contact, he opened the bottle and drizzled the remaining contents over her shoulders, down her arms, back up to her breast where it dripped and ran down her stomach, and finished the bottle off over her strong legs.

He moved his hands back to her legs, knowing this was a safe area. "_After all, have I not carefully licked and cleaned wounds on these legs before?_" Kagome's shy smile told him he could continue as she closed her eyes and gave in to the sensation. He took the moment to drink in her glowing skin. Tight and soft. Strong and gentle. His to do with as he pleased.

Her breathing quickened as his strong hands massaged the oil into her thighs, trailing his soft fingers down her calfs, wrapping wrapping his hands around one and running them up her leg and then repeating the motion on the other. He focused on her legs until the oil was completely soaked up.

Then he shifted his attention to her arms. This time he started at the bottom of her limb. Delicately massaging her hands, then moving to her forearms, and finally her upper arms, rubbing a kneading until her limbs were like putty in his strong hands.

As his hands moved to her shoulders, his eyes drank in her milky skin and his arousal strained against the garment he now desperately wished he had discarded earlier. Her breathing was shallow and fast and her breasts heaved with each shuddering breath. He nudged her legs apart, their position now the opposite of the one they began in. He stood in the water between her legs, facing her, as she sat on a rock, her hands slightly behind her to steady herself.

He longed to cup her breasts and run his hands over her dark and hard nipples. Restraining, he moved seamlessly from her shoulders to her toned stomach. Her eyes fluttered in surprise at the change in direction. She had been so certain he would go to her clearly needy breasts. He glanced up, eyes meeting again. "Not yet," he answered the question in her eyes. "If I do not finish washing the rest of you, I never will." She nodded slightly, her mouth partially open, her breath still short and fast.

"Turn around." His voice was deep with lust.

"Wh...what?" She looked at him, her eyes brimming with curiosity and a tinge of uncertainty.

"I have to wash your back."

"Oh! Right!" Kagome smiled at him and, drawing her knees under her, she turned around.

Sesshomaru almost lost what little self-control he had left at the new view he received. Her back was strong and toned, but it was the way her ass sat lightly atop the bottoms of her feet that had his inner beast fighting to get out. "_How did I not think about her rear in all of this?_" He mentally chastised himself for his lack of foresight.

The great and powerful daiyoukai, the Lord Sesshomaru, actually had to close his eyes for a moment, take a breath, and clear his head before he could proceed to touch her.

He started at her shoulders, running his hands down the sides of her back, tracing the delicate curves of her body, carefully not to graze her perfect behind. Adding more pressure, he moved his hands closer in to her spine and repeated the motion. Her skin was warm and slick against his touch and he could hear her softly moan his name as he massaged her deep aching muscles. He worked the archers' knots out of her muscles until he couldn't take it any more. Slowly, he ran his claws gently over her ass. She jumped slightly against the touch, and then, much to Sesshomaru's surprise, she leaned forward slightly, resting on her hands in front of her.

"Oh, Kagome…" Sesshomaru moaned against clamped teeth.

Realizing just how tantalizing her position must be to the dog youkai, she turned around. "I'm sorry, Sesshomaru. Should I not do that until later?" She asked him in an almost teasing manner.

Words escaped him, and all he could do was swallow and nod, the struggle against his inner beast apparent by the sweat on his brow, his trembling hands, the flecks of ruby in his eyes, and the elongated markings on his cheeks.

"Oh, my Sesshomaru," she purred. "Soon, I promise." With her words, she slipped off the rock, the water lapping at her hips, as she took his hands in hers. "Besides, I think you forgot something," the mischief clear in her voice.

"Oh?" Sesshomaru, gaining control over his beast, asked — his eyebrow arched perfectly.

"Oh, yes." And without another word, Kagome brought his hands to her breasts. His eyes widened as he met her gaze — all signs of embarrassment gone. A smile tugged at the edge of his lips as he began to knead and roll her breasts in his hands.

She moaned softly and pressed her body into his. Her body on fire from his skillful hands. Taking her hard nipples between his fingers, he gave a slight squeeze and grinned toothily as she moaned his name, her back arching, thrusting her supple breasts into his hands.

Wrapping one arm around her arched back, he maneuvered them into the deeper water, using his free hand to release her thick hair. She tilted her head back as he took one nipple into his mouth — his fangs lightly teasing her delicate flesh.

Unable to take the sensations any longer, she pulled his face up to meet hers, and her lips crashed hungrily against his. He bit and nibbled as his fingers plucked at her aching breasts. She moaned against him and ground her hips greedily against his erection.

Gasping for breath, she pulled away. "Please, Sesshomaru, please. I can't wait any longer." She begged him as her eyes clouded with lust and desire.

Leaning his head down to capture a nipple once more, he smiled. Mumbling in to her supple flesh, "Very well, _my_ Kagome," she moaned when he called her _his_, "but first, we really must rinse you. Then, I promise you, then we will go to bed."

Her body arched into his, thrusting her breast against his mouth, at the thought of the pleasures that await her.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: I do not own Inuyasha or any of the characters within the Inuyasha universe.

Also, this chapter is sexually explicit and is not suitable for those under the age of 18.

* * *

"You know … I don't believe that I have ever seen you move so quickly," Sesshomaru chuckled at the miko.

"I wouldn't be rushing if _someone_ had put a normal amount of oil in my hair — not the WHOLE bottle!" Kagome stuck her tongue out at her demon lord as she desperately tried to rinse her hair.

Sesshomaru stood back and watched her comb furiously through her hair. He could sense her urgency. It would be a lie to say that he wasn't just as anxious to have her as she was to have him, but the sight before him was simply too comical to be frustrating. The motion of Kagome's hands through her hair were a blur under the water. Her frustration continued to grow so rapidly that Sesshomaru could almost taste her scent. He sighed and, with just a few strides through the water, swept Kagome up into his arms.

"Here. I fear you will turn to simply tearing your hair out if I don't intervene — and I do so love your hair." Sesshomaru smiled down on the naked miko in his arms. "Now, close your eyes and hold your breath."

"What?!"

"I'm going to dip your hair under the waterfall. The pressure of the water should be enough to clean any excess oil out of your hair."

Kagome's eyes widened as she looked up and saw that Sesshomaru had walked them straight to the waterfall. Making a small "o" of understanding with her mouth, she nodded her head and closed her eyes. Sesshomaru was careful to keep her head supported as the water cascaded over her.

Pulling her out from under the water, he ran a hand through her shining tresses. "Better?"

She moved her hands to her hair and smiled. "Better!"

Sesshomaru wasted no time getting them out of the water. He set her small feet down on the moist stones and, like a dog, shook the water off of himself. Kagome erupted into a fit of giggles.

"What is it that you find so amusing, little one?" Sesshomaru stepped closer to her. His eyes glazing over with lust as he drank in the sight of her glistening form.

Hearing the shift in his tone, Kagome looked up — all giggles freezing at the back of her teeth. His look had her pinned to the spot and all words were lost on her paralyzed tongue. Her mind could only form one word, "_Want._"

Sesshomaru smelled the peak in her arousal and, in one swift motion, grabbed the previously discarded Mokomoko, wrapped it around her, and swept her into his arms. She didn't have time to think as his lips came crashing down on hers and they floated into the air, wind rushing past them as Sesshomaru spirited them up the stairs.

* * *

Their lips crashed against one another madly as Kagome's back hit the bed. She moaned against him while his teeth grazed her jaw. The sound of her moans alone would have been enough to get Sesshomaru hard, but her moans mixed in with her touch, the sweet smell of her skin, and the sight before him was almost too much to handle.

Sesshomaru moved his lips away and leaned back — his eyes greedily drinking in the vision before him. She lay amidst furs and silks, the textures blanketing her sides, both hiding and displaying her milky skin. Night had fallen and the moonlight danced across her erotic form. Her damp tresses splayed around her head, haloing her in raven ribbons. He sat over her, his strong legs straddling her supple hips and he reveled in the feeling of her rocking herself up to him — her body begging for his attentions. Her swollen lips were red as her tongue darted out to lick them. "_Oh, the things I would have you do with that tongue_," he mused to himself.

Her eyes locked onto his as she whispered his name. Her tone begging him, her hands running up his muscular thighs, her fingers itching to free his very apparent erection.

He lowered his face back down to hers, planting kisses from her lips to her jaw and up to her ear where he nibbled and kissed and whispered.

"Not yet, my Kagome. I plan to worship every last inch of you and pleasure you over and over again until your legs shake and you're hoarse from screaming my name. I will make you cum so hard and so many times that you forget your name and where you are. Then, when all you can do is mewl my name and beg me to take you, then and only then will I take you and allow you to explore me."

Kagome gasped and quivered under him. Her mouth dry. She tried to swallow, tried to catch her breath, but all she could manage was a nod of her head. Their mouths met once again as Sesshomaru began his exploration.

He ran his hands up her sides, his claws grazing the sides of her breasts. Her body shuddered at the delicate touch. Grasping her hands in his, he pinned her hands above her head and nudged her legs apart with his knees. She willingly complied as she closed her eyes and gave her body over to the sensation of her lover's touch.

She felt an ember burning within her as he nipped and nibbled her lips, her body unconsciously arching and shifting against his, searching for a friction she didn't yet know. Sesshomaru nibbled his way down the column of her neck. Sporadically, he would nip her a bit harder and then instantly soothe the skin with a lap of his tongue. He reveled in the way her scent would spike. Breathing in the deep, sharp smell of her arousal as it mingled with the crackling flares of pain. But it wasn't truly the scent of pain, rather, it was the fine line between pain and pleasure — the tight-rope of sexual and sensual "pain." She gasped and moaned and mewled as his nibbles and laps assaulted and assuaged her sweet skin.

Moving his head down further, he caught one of her straining nipples in his mouth. Her body bucked up against him in response, and his low rumbling growl of approval intertwined in the air with her own low moan. She could feel his skilled tongue darting around the edge of her nipple with the occasional satisfying flick over the tip that sent a shock through her. She felt her stomach drop with each tantalizing lick and gasped when Sesshomaru took her nipple in his mouth — lightly nibbling on it with his fangs and sucking hard until he let her out of his mouth with an audible _pop_!

"Oh, gods, Sesshomar — ooooo." His name turned into a long drawn out moan as he repeated the process with her other nipple. His hands releasing hers so he could pinch and twist at the nipple he'd just released from his mouth. Her body shook under him as she felt a wave build up inside of her.

Sesshomaru could smell her building need and, after releasing his most recent nipply-conquest from his mouth, he traced one claw down her quivering stomach.

Her eyes flew open as she felt his finger trace along the edge of her _other_ set of lips. He took his now wet finger and lightly circled around her clit while he continued to pay homage to her perfect breasts with mouth and hand.

He circled her clit again as she shook beneath him. Then, he reversed the direction. Once clockwise around her clit, then counterclockwise. With each circle, he could feel her body tightening under him and he could smell her arousal. Her body shook and tried to escape the overwhelming pleasure, but Sesshomaru's strong legs held her in place.

She gasped out his name in broken syllables begging him to "wait...just" and then instantly commanding him "No! Don't...don't stop. Please, just keep...doing…." longer and sharper breaths punctuated the space between her words. Her voice shaking with pleasure.

"Kagome," Sesshomaru whispered from her breast.

She moaned in response.

"Don't hold it back."

Her voice came out in broken pieces. "It's too much...I...I can't…"

"Cum for me," he growled as he flicked his finger over her clit and clamped down her on tender nipple.

And gods did she cum. Her body bucked against him as a primal scream tore from her throat. The wave that had built up came crashing down upon her senses and flooded the room with the scent of her pleasure.

Sesshomaru gently slid his finger down along her folds again and moving his lips to her ear moaned, "Kagome, you're so wet."

Peeking through her heavy eyelids, she smiled a giddy and shy, almost sloppy, post-cum half-smile. "It's all your fault, you know."

"Oh? Well, I'll just have to make it up to you, now won't I?" Sesshomaru planted a soft kiss on her lips, raised his eyebrow, and slowly ran a finger along her again — eliciting a satisfied hum and tiny buck of her hips from his miko.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: I do not own the rights to Inuyasha.

Also, this chapter is sexually explicit and is not suitable for those under the age of 18.

* * *

Sesshomaru nipped and nibbled and licked his way up the insides of Kagome's still quivering legs. She could still feel each heartbeat as it rattled her ribcage while tiny beads of sweat appeared at her hairline, down her neck, and between her breasts. Her body lay limp on the bed while little occasional spasms still shook her.

"Your second orgasm was much stronger than your first," Sesshomaru mumbled into her thigh.

Kagome gave a weak nod and a small whimper of pleasure. Her fingers finally began to relax their grip on the furs beneath her and she lazily lifted one hand to try and find her lover. Her hand rested on his silver mane and he peeked up at her from his very pleasant spot between her legs.

"Yes? My love?"

She smiled back at him and gently ran her hand down the side of his face. "When do I get to make you feel this way?"

"Not yet, my love. I have only brought you to your climax twice, and I have yet to explore what's between _these_ lips." He grinned devilishly at her and lightly suckled at the enticing flesh before him.

She whimpered and bucked slightly against his face. He took her body's motion as a sign that she had recovered from her previous orgasm and that he could continue his exploration.

She started to open her mouth to protest, but whatever words she was going to say were lost as she inhaled sharply. His tongue flicking over her clit.

"Sesshomaru! You don't have to do thaaAAHH oh my gods!"

The demon lord removed his lips from her only long enough to retort that he was well aware he didn't have to do anything he didn't want to do and, as a matter of fact, he had never done anything he didn't want to do and didn't plan on starting such nonsense today. With that, he returned his tongue to her and languidly traced it along the sopping lips before him, finishing his tongue's journey with a defiant, triumphant, and strong flick over the miko's very sensitive clit.

Her hips jerked and her legs pressed together against his head. Without saying a word, he reached up, flattened her legs — thus displaying her for his ocular and olfactory pleasure — and laid one arm across her hips — effectively pinning her unruly hips down.

He inhaled deeply, reveling in her heady scent. Deep and strong, innocent and sharp. He growled against her moist skin and traced his tongue along her again. Her taste lingered on his tongue and he lapped at her again. He could spend the rest of eternity simply laying there between her legs tasting her salty sweetness and, at the end of his days, die a perfectly happy daiyoukai.

Her moans and mewls and gentle cries of his name brought his attention back to her.

"Hn?"

She blushed at her next words, but her desire far over-powered her embarrassment. "Please, Sesshomaru. I need…" she faltered. What was it that she needed? Her body had never felt this way. This heat and tension, this aching and longing, as though something was missing. But what?

"What is it that you need, Ka-," his tongue twirled around her entrance, "-go-," he ran his tongue up her slit again, "-me," a final flick of her clit brought a buck from her hips, yet again.

She moaned and shook her head. "I...I don't know. I just need...something!"

She didn't need to say anything more. Sesshomaru knew exactly what she needed. Friction.

"This may hurt for a moment, my love. However, I have made sure your body is ready, to minimize any discomfort. If anything hurts too much, alert me instantly. I will not cause you pain for my own pleasure."

A slight nod from her let him know she understood. With that, he slid one delicate and powerful finger into her. His finger began sliding in with ease but, at the introduction of the foreign object, her muscles instantly clamped down on him.

"Relax, Kagome. Trust me."

She breathed out and Sesshomaru felt her release her vice-like grip on his finger. Slowly, he began sliding his finger back out of her, causing her body to shudder slightly and she moaned in protest. He repeated the motion. Sliding his finger in her, and slowly drawing it back out. Each time, inserting his digit just a bit deeper in her.

Her hips twisted and wriggled against his movements. A smile highlighted in the moonlight lay splashed across her face as she experienced this new sensation. She began moving her hips slightly in rhythm with his finger and he growled approvingly.

She felt as though her blood was dancing in her veins as her body began to climb. This time, it was different, though. She felt as though her body could climb higher this time. Something about the deep and steady rhythm had her feeling weightless.

Then, she murmured something she didn't even expect herself to say. Something she didn't even know she needed.

"More."

Sesshomaru willingly complied. Swiftly and gracefully, he inserted another skilled digit inside her. She moaned and her back arched against the new fullness. For a moment she felt slightly stretched, but she was so wet and so aroused that the discomfort flew past her.

Her lover began a new movement. He drew his fingers mostly out of her and chuckled slightly as she mewled in protest.

"Patients, my little minx. I think you will like what I have in store for you."

And with that, he pressed the pads of his powerful fingers upwards — finding the swollen and spongy tissue only an inch or two inside of her. She cried out in pleasure.

"What was that? What did you...do it again. Oh, please, Sesshomaru, please…" her voice was elated and desperate and gritty with lust.

"That, little one, is your g-spot," and just to prove his point, he began rapidly alternating his fingers — as though they were running on the spot that brought his miko such pleasure.

She moaned and her fingers tangled in his hair. Her toes tingled and a tightness grew throughout her body. But Sesshomaru wasn't through with her yet.

"This time, I want you to try and hold your orgasm back." Although phrased as a request, Kagome felt in her depths it was a command, and at the thought of him commanding her, she felt her body tighten even more.

"Wh...why?" She managed to breathily stammer out her question. It was a question that she knew he didn't have to answer. She would do just as he said, but she was quite curious to know why he wanted her to hold back the pleasure he had previously commanded her to release.

"If you hold it back, I can bring your body higher and strengthen your climax. I want you to cum harder this time than the previous two combined. Now, do your best not to cum until I tell you to. Can you do that for me?"

The "mhmm" that followed was both an agreement and a moan of pleasure. Pleased with his little lover's determination and subserviency, he continued to pleasure her.

He randomly alternated between running his fingers on her g-spot and thrusting them into her tight and wet opening. He dipped his head deeper and drew her clit into his mouth. He sucked on it and flicked it with his tongue. He circled around it, applying more and less pressure as he saw fit.

The combination of his mouth and fingers had Kagome's body shaking. She felt as though her orgasm would break her, but each time she felt as though the wave would crash through her, she remembered her daiyoukai's command. And each time she pushed her orgasm back she felt it build. Her eyes were tightly shut and a look of both pleasure and strain flitted across her porcelain features. Her hips only lay flat against the bed because of the arm Sesshomaru had placed across them, and her toes pushed and pulled against the lush fabrics beneath her as her body fought off the oncoming climax. Her hands pushed and pulled against her lover's head that was buried between her legs. Her breasts were pushed skyward and her aroused nipples reached for the heavens as her back arched and her breath shook.

He could feel the tension in her body and smell the sweat dripping down her. Her body in a limbo between pain and pleasure — desperately needing release while denying it and pushing her body higher and harder.

Sesshomaru could feel and smell that her orgasm was about to break — that there would be no stopping it. And as he flicked her clit with his strong tongue one more time, he inserted a third finger in her and growled, "NOW!"

With his command, her climax broke. Her hips bucked wildly and her hands spasmed and shook in his hair. A strangled cry wrenched itself from her throat as her feet lashed about — her orgasm literally tearing through her body. Her back stayed arched, as her breasts bounced with the waves crashing through her. Her head tossed from side to side, her eyes shut — blinded by the bright lights blasting behind her eyelids. Her body shook and trembled as her orgasm continued — lasting multiple minutes. As her body lay limp, a small giggled slipped from her lips, and a pleasure induced tear slipped down her cheek.

Sesshomaru lapped up the juices of her climax before sliding up her body and kissing away the tear on her cheek.

"That, little one, is why I wanted you to hold back," he whispered in her ear.


End file.
